Pipe cleaner



Jan. 31, 1933. B. LEWIS ET AL 1,396,004

PIPE CLEANER Filed' Jan.- 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR W' BYWITNESS! Jan. 31, 1933. B. I Ewls ET AL 1,896,004

PIPE CLEANER Filed Jan. 28. 1931 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 B/VJHMI/VLEWIS 6 WqLTER JOSEPH INVENTOR ATTORNEY W TNESS:

Patented Jan. 3l, n

annum Lawn. or" woons'mn PATENT .oFFlcEff um wanna .rosa-rx, or LONG:stam: crrir, 'maw Yonx' ifi-r11.' enzima' p I Application 'med vJanuaryB8, 1,981.-v Berlal Io. '$11,884.

This invention relates to pipe cleaners, and the principal object is toprovide anovel and improved pipe cleaner over that shown and described1n U. S. 'Letters Patent No. I 1,078,253. 4

.While the resent invention vis especially adapted for c eaning pipesleadingfrom beer barrels to the faucets, it is equally applicable forcleaning pipes of soda water fountains,

boilers or anyother 1pipes which may be coupled in pairs; and-t us thepresent inven- 'tion has the same general fields of utility as' thepatented structuile just referred tof-but with additional possibleutilizations, and, 1n Il practically every'case, with marked advantages, as will appear hereinafter.

- According to said patent, a device is prolvided which may be readilyconnected with two faucets or other openings from two pipes `2t the endsof which may be cou lcd together,

4such, device including means or then forcing a cleaning solutionthrough the pipes'irst i ,in one direction and then in theoppositedirection. It'has been found exceedingly diiii- .25 cult tomaintain said solution exactl as predetermined, and to employ said soution .as required in various'situations, in a combination like that ofthe patented device, wherein a pair of inspection and iiuidguidingcylin- 80 ders are presentin such relation to a valve and its associatedsolution-propelling means that the solution has to be placed initiallyin one orA the other-of said cylinders. One

of the chief operating troubles encountered 85 is that if it is the pipeoppositethe Aother cylinder than the one a pointed for the firstintroduction zof. the so ution which is the dirtier and hence ito beprincipally or solely ltreated by surging the solution therethrough 40'back and forth, the solution must make a substantially 'completecircuit, -that is, traverse both cylinders and both pipes, in everycase, even where only one pipe-is desired to be cleaned and is the pipecoupled to the other j cylinder. A i

Therefore, it is '-an important object ofthe invention to provide anarrangement to obvifa-te the 'diiiicu-lty just mentioned; and anarrangement which, preferably, is able to be operated bythe selectiveuse of `compressed air and water, the air merely todrive the solutionfirst in one direction and then inthe other through the pipe or pipes tobecleaned, and th'e waterto further dilute the solution, or furtherdilutethe same wliile driving the sof3 lution in a desired directionthrough such pipe or pipes-with the air and water, alone or ]o1ntly,employed in an sequence desired, to clean out the device lo residualsolution after a pipe cleaning o eration.

Another important o ject of the invention is to provide an im rovedconstruction for the cylinder assemb y, wherein the number of couplingelements between the end-plates of .the cylinders and the side wallsthereof, whtch latter are preferably cylindrical glass tubes as in thepatent aforesaid, is materially reduced, and wherein also the workofassemblingthe cylinders in the proper fluidtight manner is made easierand sure," i Other objects and advantages of the invention will behereinafter specifically pointed out, or will become apparent, asthe-specifi cation proceeds.

.the invention resides in 'certain novel constructions and combinationsand arr e-l ments of parts,l clearly described in the ol lowingspecification and fullyvillus'trated in the' accompanyin drawings, whichshow an embodiment of t e invention as at present preferred. I

`In 4said Adrawings-, Fig. 1 is a top nlan view ofa pipe cleaner"constructed i-n accordance with our invention, and shown in connectionwith two beer pipes;

Fig. 2 is, on an enlarged scale, an lend elevation of the cleaner,partially broken away and partiall insection; l i

Fig. 3, .a so partially broken away and partiallyv in section, is atopplan-view of, the parts shown in Fig. 2; j Fig..4 isa longitudinalvertical 'se'ctio'1'i",.lv 44 taken on substantially the-line 4-,4 ofFig. 3;

Fi 5 isa horizontal section, taken on substantially the line`5-f5 ofFig. 2; and

6 is a transverse vertical section, taken on su stantially the line.6--6 ofFig. 5.

In carrying out our invention, we employ two cylinders `10 and'jll,preferably formed 100 n cap 34a,

from glass, and closed at theirrear ends by identical metal caps 10 and11. These caps n are joined by an integral cross-rib 12, and the generalstructure thereby established has a pair of supporting legs 13. p

Opening through the plates 10 and 11' into the respectivecylinders, areintegral, threaded nipples 14 and 15; the threads of these nipplestaking manually removable nuts 16, whereby there may be readilydetachably secured in place a pair of hose nipples 17, whichv latternipples may be connected by iiexible tubes 18 and 19 with faucetsl 2 0and 21.

In illustrating our invention, we have shown the device in connectionwith beer pipes, the faucet 20 being connected with one end of arefrigerating coil 22 which extends toa-barrel 23, and the other faucet21 bein connected to a refrigerating coil 24 leading to a barrel 25.

, The front ends of the cylinders 10 and 11 are closed by a structure 26including integrally a pair of ca s 27 for the front cylinder ends, anda cruci orm valve structure comnipple and the bore of the feederconnection -33 as shown best in Fig. 4, a pair of upper,

^ oppositely p nection directed, sidewisely extended threaded nipples340 and 34d. The ni ple 34d has screwed thereon a faucet 35, whichfaucet4 `carries a threaded nipple 36. The threads of the nipples 34oand 36 take manually removable nuts 37, whereby there may be readilydetachably secured inplace a pair of hose nipples 38 and 38. The nipple38 is internally threaded, and has screwed therein, as shown in Fig.l 2,an air-cock 39 provided with a hose nipple 39.

l'To the nipple 38 is connected a hose 40 to a' suitable source of watersupply, and to the nipple 39 is connected a hose 41 leading to asuitablesource of compressed air. v

Reverting to the details of construction of the cruciform valvestructure formed integrally as' above described with the front cylindercaps 27,- this structure, it will be observed, is easily and quicklyopened u in.

all parts, by disassembling the associate fitments, partially orcompletely, for cleaning, whenever desired each of the two connections31 and 32 (Fig.y 5) having removable screwplugs 40`at"their outer ends,the drain con# 30 leading to a threadedly connected and readilydetachable drain sput 41, the valve 29 itself being readily removable bypulling forwardly on its handle 29a followline up'the bore of said ingremoval of a single nut 296, and the auxiliary tank 34 beingdisengageable at its nipple 346 from thev feeder connection 33.

The manner of assembly of the front strucL ture 26 including the caps27, with the rear plates or caps 10 and 11, to lock therebetween theglass cylinders 10 and 11, is also of extreme simplicity and reliablity.According to the patented structure aforesaid, a number of exterior tiebolts are employed, running lengthwisely of the cylinders but exteriorthereto, this due to the fact that the filling-plug for the cylinder inwhich as aforesaid the cleaning solution is inserted, is located in oneof the end plates or caps for that cylinder. These exterior tie rodshave been found very diiiicult to tighten up evenly. In the structure ofthe present invention, it will be noted that only a single tie rod 42 isused for each cylinder, this rod extending inside the cylinder andaxially thereof. As shown best in Figs. 4 and 5, each such rod is reallyonly a very large or rather long bolt having a head 42a and having athreaded inner end to be screwed up into an internally threaded boss 26on the rear of said structure 26 and located centrally of theAappropriate front cylinder cap 27. Thisfconstruction, asprovidedpreferably with gaskets as shown at 43 in Fig. 4 and at 44`inFig. 5, permits `instantaneous tightening up of but a single bolt,thereby to surely and safely and easily close each cylinder in thedesired fluid tight manl ner. The importance of this improvement will beimmediately appreciated, it being noted, and more full explainedAhereinafter, that the cleaning so ution is never directly inserted ineither one of the cylinders 10 and 11, but, instead, is alWa-ysdeposited, preparatory to a use of the device, in auxiliary tank 34,simply as a result of temporarily removing the cap 34a.

The front structure 26 has a pairof legs 45, which, combine with thelegs 13 on the rear structure to suitably space the device on and aboveany suitable support 45.',l in coactionwith the rods 42 which rigidify.the

device longitudinally,thus providing a much lighter 'and a moresatisfactory device.

throughout.

The -valve 29, as shown best in Fig. 6, is adapted to be thrown tbeither one of two positions; toopen a passage from the tank 34 to thecylinder 10, meanwhile connecting the cylinder 11 with the drain spout41, and to open a passage from the tank 34 to the cylinder 11, meanwhileconnecting the cylinder 10 to said spout. l

Preparatory to cleaning the pipes air may be forced through the coils soas to drive vthe contents back into the barrels or recepf tacles 23 and25, and then the ends 22 and 24 of the coils 22 and 24'will be discon--nected from the respective barrels and coupled together as shown inbroken lines in suitable cleaning solution will then be placed in thetank 34 and the valve 29 will be turned to connect the tank with theparticular cylinder l0 or l1 which leads directly to the coil 22 or 24needing cleanin most or through which for any reason it 1s desired firstto send the cleaning solution. If the cleaning solution is of the rightstrength, it

may be sent around the circuit in the direction just indicated bycompressed air, on properly opening the cock 39. If it is desired todilute the solution incident to such travel, water may be employed asthe sole or partial propulsion fluid, by properl opening the faucet orsaid faucet and t e cock 39. The situation may always be checkedvisually through the glass cyhnder or c'lln- '20 ders. If only one coilis to be cleane cleaned first because the dirtier, the fluid is sentthrough that cylinder and its connectedY coil, back and forth, as manytimes as necessary; the direction of fluid iow being 5 reversed, aftercomplete passage in the previous direction either through the coil beingnow specially cleaned or through both coils, as the particular situationrequires. Such reversal is accomplished by reversing the 3 valve 29 asshown in Fig. 6 from the position there illustrated in full lines tothat shown in broken lines, or vice versa. When the coil or coils beingtreated are thorough?l cleansed, the water supply may be shut o 35 ifwater is then being employed, and air adtion can be sent direct to 5 anynecessity to lose the strength of the soluvtion withei 0 originally hasto be tion, as in a coil not particularl needing cleaning at the time,because ofi' aving to send the solution around the entire circuitfollowing from the fact that the vsolution placed in the apparatus bydirect and initial deposit in one cylinder or the other.

We claim:

device :for the purpose indicated com- 5 prismg a duality of.transparent walled cyllnders, a valve car head in communication withsaid rymg cylinders, a two-way valve in andthe valve being m le to laceeither cylinder in communicatlonl wi said disc arge spout, and acleaning'uid container said head, the latter havinga dlscharge spout OVBsurmounting said cylinders. and in communicationV at its lower end withsaid head, said valve placin said container in communicaer cylinder whenthe opposite and water may be coils 'may be had cylinder is incommunication with -the dis- C arge. spout, said container having airand fluid supply connections adjacent its upper end and said cylindershaving nipples at the ends remote from said head for connection tocirculating pipes to be cleaned.

In testimony whereof We hereby ailix our signatures.

BENJAMIN LEWIS. AVVALTLER JOSEPH.

